F430 Cabin Fan runs with car turned off

The next to last time I parked the 2006 F430 Spider about a week ago, the cabin fan was still running after turning off the car and removing the key. "Hmm, probably like the rad fans that sometimes keep running too cool things down," I blithely and innocently surmised.

Wrong. Upon attempting to take it for a spin yesterday afternoon, as the snow is finally gone for a bit, I found the battery completely and utterly flat. So much so I figure perhaps damaged. So, new battery, but the cabin fan continues to run for up to half an hour after turning off the car. I'm forced to turn the master-switch in the luggage compartment to OFF for now.

Forum searches reveal plenty of 'fan not working' issues, but I can find nothing on a fan that continues to run after turning off the car. A bit of further info, the rotary fan switch seems to have no bearing on fan speed, in addition to not turning the fan off. Car running, not running, whatever - fan still going. Only killing power via the master-switch affects it.

Help please?

TIA

~Troyce
1998 550 Maranello
2006 F430
1987 328 GTS

 

Only the fan continues to run, as far as I can tell. Fan speed does not change when the fan speed control knob is turned, even to the OFF position.

Heating and AC cooling continue to work, although a bit erratically in being difficult to control the temp (which may be normal for these cars).

When I first got the car, turning the fan control knob to AUTO caused the fan speed to oscillate about once per second from a high to a low speed. The other positions simply increased/decreased the speed as, I think, they should. Once yesterday turning the knob to AUTO caused the oscillation, but then that stopped happening too. Once or twice turning the car off, then restarting, caused the fan speed to increase or decrease, perhaps, but possibly with only a change in the "tone" of the fan sound as if a door were being opened or shut in the duct system.

Erratic behavior within a small window, but fan always running in the end at the same speed whether ignition on or off, car running or not - a speed seemingly consistent with fan speed control knob position 2.

Having cut total battery power several times over the past few weeks to address a previously bad battery, could an ECU reset perhaps change things? I did one version of a reset, and the car seemed to correct itself (SLOW DOWN idiot lamp on first start, but gone on restart) but who knows.

Thanks much for your replies!

~Troyce
1998 550 Maranello
2006 F430
1987 328 GTS

 

Thanks much, vrsurgeon & whatheheck,

I will try the reset as soon as I get back to the car's location, but also find it likely that it's a board/chip issue. The car has been a mess electrically since day one, as it came with a bad battery. Chances are start attempts with a low battery (which wouldn't matter to a reasonably designed car) has fried something.

~Troyce
2006 F430
1998 550 Maranello
1987 328 GTS

 

Will do.

 

All,

I have tried the reset rountine a dozen times, no joy. However, the next to last time I turned the battery disconnect switch back on to start and move the car, the notoriously always-running fan came on then just stopped running with no input from myself. Moved the car, turned it off, fan still off. Left the battery switch on. Drove the car again, tried the fan switch in various configs, fan turned off with fan switch. Turned off the car, went to the house all happy. Today, two days later, the battery is dead flat. Put a charge on it via the terminal behind the drivers (car is LHD) seat to open the front hood, with fan running vigorously right along, turned off battery-disconnect switch under front hood, fan continues running still, full blast - with the battery switch OFF. Disconnected the charger from the terminal behind the seat, fan stopped, of course.

Does that still sound like an Air-Con ECU, or what? I am completely flummoxed here.

I had what I thought would be a great plan, to buy a car with a few miles thinking the bugs would be worked out. Alas, no . . . it's still a Ferrari.

~Troyce -
1998 550 Maranello
2006 F430 F1
1987 328 GTS

 

To the best of my knowledge, Dan, the car is totally stock. However, checking for odd-looking (assuming factory parts won't be odd-looking, which is a big assumption) connections to the battery terminals sounds like a good start. Thanks.

 

Thanks, Mello - another good idea. Now, where to start . . . .

 

Thanks for the reply, belfry. I found this part in a parts book, looks as if it is under the dash to the rear or the boot bulkhead. Do you mind letting me know the approximate labor charge for the replacement of the part? It does not appear to be easily accessible to a DIY'er.

 

Removing the "AC" Fuse in the pax foot appears to have removed the power from whatever fan was running. Since it comes and goes, hard to know for sure. Didn't think to reinstall the fuse while I was in there to check that.

Interestingly, removing the relays in the luggage compartment for "L" and "R" fans, as well as the two for the same functions - adjacent to the "AC" fuse - in the footwell changed nothing; fan still running.

My meager reckoning brings me to strongly consider replacement of the blower regulator 64280200, per Belfry's information. Alas, my service manual has only a "We're getting to that" (sure you are) note in the section that MIGHT cover this part. If it's elsewhere, I can't find it. I see it in the parts diagrams, but it is not clear at all to me where one would dive in to locate it. Help?
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Hah, yep, if I could get to it, quite easy to R/R. I'm pretty sure I've managed to find it with a mirror on a yard long stick, can sort of get some light on it. It's almost against the inside of the front bulkhead. Maybe I should use a metric stick.

Here's another amusing thing I found upon removing the glove-box and relocating the airbag. Just floating in the breeze. Cannot find a clue where it goes, if anywhere. Might be for a glove-box option CD or some other thing.
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